meticulous

adjective

me·​tic·​u·​lous mə-ˈti-kyə-ləs How to pronounce meticulous (audio)
: marked by extreme or excessive care in the consideration or treatment of details
a meticulous researcher
meticulosity noun
meticulously adverb
meticulousness noun

Did you know?

Meticulous Has Fearful Roots

We're afraid we have some strange etymological news: meticulous comes from the Latin word for "fearful"—metīculōsus—and ultimately from the Latin noun metus, meaning "fear." Although meticulous currently has no "fearful" meanings, it was originally used as a synonym of "frightened" and "timid." This sense had fallen into disuse by 1700, and in the 1800s meticulous acquired a new meaning of "overly and timidly careful" (possibly due to the influence of the French word méticuleux). This meaning in turn led to the current one of "painstakingly careful," with no connotations of fear at all. The newest use was controversial for a time, but it is now by far the most common meaning; even the most meticulous (or persnickety, depending on your view) among us consider it perfectly acceptable.

Choose the Right Synonym for meticulous

careful, meticulous, scrupulous, punctilious mean showing close attention to detail.

careful implies attentiveness and cautiousness in avoiding mistakes.

a careful worker

meticulous may imply either commendable extreme carefulness or a hampering finicky caution over small points.

meticulous scholarship

scrupulous applies to what is proper or fitting or ethical.

scrupulous honesty

punctilious implies minute, even excessive attention to fine points.

punctilious observance of ritual

Examples of meticulous in a Sentence

Always meticulous about his appearance in the past, he had become dirty and unkempt, with straggly hair, stained clothes, and patches of silver stubble on his chin. Minette Walters, Fox Evil, 2002
She was very much the craftswoman, all her work meticulous, slow, perfect. Simon Winchester, The Professor and the Madman, 1998
In dense, meticulous arguments … Brooten mounts an assault on that view. Cullen Murphy, Atlantic, August 1993
He described the scene in meticulous detail. He is meticulous about keeping accurate records.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
These tours provide a unique glimpse into the meticulous processes that transform humble grapes into effervescent masterpieces. Tim Lai, Forbes, 30 Nov. 2024 For years, this vital task of ensuring software quality has been the domain of skilled programmers, whose meticulous work has been crucial to launching reliable products and sometimes slows down the velocity of new features. Chris Gallagher, USA TODAY, 29 Nov. 2024 The meticulous restoration process involved cleaning over 42,000 square meters of stone using innovative latex peels to strip away centuries of grime without causing damage. Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 29 Nov. 2024 The meticulous attention to detail on the Chinatown apartment sets didn’t just mirror the moody atmosphere of a Wong Kar-Wai film; the to-scale smallness of the apartments demanded Segal shoot pieces of it like a Wong Kar-Wai film. Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 29 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for meticulous 

Word History

Etymology

earlier, "fearful," borrowed from Latin metīculōsus, metūculōsus "timid, apprehensive," from metū-, stem of metus "fear, dread" (of uncertain origin) + -culōsus (in perīculōsus "involving danger, perilous")

Note: The senses "overscrupulous," then "careful, scrupulous" may depend on French méticuleux, for which these meanings are attested somewhat earlier than in English.

First Known Use

1827, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of meticulous was in 1827

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Dictionary Entries Near meticulous

Cite this Entry

“Meticulous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/meticulous. Accessed 12 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

meticulous

adjective
me·​tic·​u·​lous mə-ˈtik-yə-ləs How to pronounce meticulous (audio)
: extremely or overly careful in thinking about or dealing with small details
a meticulous researcher
meticulously adverb
meticulousness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on meticulous

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